Telescopic traveling-bag.



PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905.

A. B. SPRAGUB. TELESGOPIO TRAVELING BAG.

Attorneys wifmfgm uujuuuuuuu APPLICATION FILED MAILM, 1905.

Witnesses V jl bwlzejnventor ASA B. SPRAGUE, OF HIAVVATHA, KANSAS.

TELESCOPIC TRAVELING-BAG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

Application filed March 14,1905. Serial No. 250,097.

T0 (1, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AsA B. SPRAGUE. a citizen of the United States, residing at Hiawatha, in the county of Brown and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Telescopic Traveling-Bag, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to traveling-bags, and in particular to what are commonly termed telescope-valises, and has for its object to provide a simple and improved means for positively supporting the members of the bagor valise in different telescoped positions and to effect a positive locking of the members without the employment of the usual straps.

A further object of the invention is to have the locking elements arranged within the bag so as to be inaccessible from the exterior thereof to protect the bag against being fraudulently opened and at the same time to provide for locking and unlocking the bag in a simple and convenient manner.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a telescope valise or bag embodying the features of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken longitudinally through one end of the bag. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the top member of the bag. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken vertically through the adjacent corners of the bag members.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each and every figure of the drawings.

The present bag or valise includes the usual bottom member 1, which is open at its top and formed of any suitable material, and the top member 2, which is open at its bottom and telescopically embraces the lower bottom section. The bottom section is braced by an internal peripheral frame member 3, preferably of angle-iron, fitting snugly within and around the bottom of the bottom section,

there also being an upper internal stiffeningframe i. Each upright edge of the bottom section is embraced by an external angular corner-iron 5, which is riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the bag and provided with a vertical series of openings 6, each corneriron constituting a rack or keeper, as will hereinafter appear.

Within the top of the upper section 2 there is an internal angular stiffening-frame 7, having a, pair of spaced cross-bars 8, and around the lower edge of the top section there is an internal stiffening-frame 9. (Best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.) In each upright corner of the top section there is an upright rotatable bolt 10, which has its opposite ends journaled in the upper and lower stiffeningframes 7 and 9, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The lower end of this rotatablebolt is provided with a substantially radial catch projection or bolt-head 11, designed to take into any one of the notches or openings in the adjacent keeper 5, and thereby interlock the top and bottom sections of the traveling-bag.

It is of course desired to simultaneously rotate all four of the bolts for engaging and disengaging the same with respect to the several keepers in order that the bag may be readily locked and unlocked, and'to accomplish this result a rotatable or rocking head 12 is centrally pivoted to the inner or under side of the top of the upper section. Links 13 are pivoted to opposite ends of this head and eX- tend at opposite sides thereof, there being a pair of diverged links 14 pivotally connected at a common point 15 to the free end of each of the links 13, the outer end of each link 14: being pivotally connected to a crank-arm 16 upon the upper end of the adjacent rotatable bolt 10. By rotating the head 12 in one direction the links 13 will be drawn inwardly across one another, and the latch-heads 11 thereby turned inwardly into the notches of the respective keepers, and by a reverse movement of the head 12 the bolts will be rotated in the opposite direction, and the latch-heads 11 thereby turned out of engagement with the keepers, so as to free the bag-sections and permit of the ready separation thereof.

The means for rotating the head 12 consists of a handled crank 17 located upon the upper side of the top section and piercing the same with its lower portion connected to the head 12, as indicated at 18 in Fig. 3, there being a wear-plate 19 connected to the top and interposed between the latter and the head 12, said plate also forminga rigid hearing for the operating-crank. This crankhandle is preferably located adjacent one side of the usual loop-shaped handle 20, and in order that the bag or valise may be locked against fraudulent opening a suitable keycontrolled lock 21 is secured to the top section, preferably beneath the handle 20, and the crank 17 is provided with a bolt 22 to engage the lock in the locked condition of the latchheads 11, and thereby lock the entire bag or valise against accidental and fraudulent openlng.

In addition to the locking of the bag the frames of the present invention stiffen the otherwise comparatively flexible bag sections, and by reason of the rigid interlocking of the two sections the entire bag or valise is rendered comparatively rigid, so as to protect the contents of the bag and to prevent mashing and injury to said contents, whichordinarily occurs when the two sections are drawn into snug engagement by one or more straps embracing the same.

It is preferred to connect the terminals of the handle 20 to the cross-bars 8, as indicated at 23 in Fig. 3, whereby the strain of the handle comes upon the cross-bars and the top frame 7 instead of upon the body of the top section 2.

Each of the stiffening-frames 3, 4, and 7 is secured to its respective bag-section by suitable fastenings, preferably rivets.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A traveling-bag comprising telescoping sections, keepers housed in the corners between the bag-sections and carried by one of the sections, bolts located in the corners between the sections and carried by the other section for engagement with the respective keepers, and means carried by said other bagsection for controlling the bolts to simultaneously engage and disengage the same with the keepers.

2. A traveling-bag comprising telescoping sections, keepers externally embracing the corners of the inner section, upright rotatable bolts mounted within the upright corners of the other section and provided with lateral latch-heads for engagement with the respective keepers, and means mounted upon the upper section for rotating the bolts to simultaneously engage and disengage the same with respect to the keepers.

3. A traveling-bag comprising telescoping sections, keepers upon one of the sections, bolts carried by the other section for engagement with the keepers, and bolt-controlling means comprising a rotatablehead and links extending in opposite directions from opposite ends of the head and connected to the respective bolts.

L. A traveling-bag comprising telescoping sections, keepers carried by one of the sections, bolts carried by the other section for engagement with the respective keepers, a rotatable rocking head mountedwithin said other section, links extending in opposite directions from opposite ends of the head, diverged links pivotally connected to the free ends of the first-mentioned links and also to the respective bolts, and bolt controlling means accessible at the exterior of the bag and piercing the same in connection with the rocking head.

5. A traveling-bag comprising telescoping sections, keepers in the form of corner-irons embracing the upright corners of the inner bag-section and provided with vertical series of notches, upright rotatable bolts in the upright corners of the outer section and provided with lateral latch-heads for engagement with the notches of the respective keepers, a pivotal head mounted within the top section, crank-arms upon the upper ends of the bolts, links extending in opposite directions from the opposite ends of the heads and connected to the respective crank-arms for rotating the bolts, a controlling crank-handle located upon the exterior of the bag and piercing the top section in connection with the head, and a lock carried by the top section for locking engagement by the crank-handle when the bolts are engaged with the keepers.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ASA B. SPRAGUE.

Witnesses:

GEO. IV. CHASE, NORMAN R. LANDIS. 

